Dia is a writer and researcher from Nepal. She is currently the coordinator for Intersex Asia and is also affiliated with the Open Insitute for Social Science as a research fellow.  Dia previously served in the UN Women Nepal Country Office as a Program Support Officer.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Storytelling: Documenting Queer Stories

This project documented queer lived experiences from Nepal. A month-long one-on-one workshop for five queer writers and storytellers created a safe space in which participants could refine their storytelling skills and pen their own narratives. A website was created to serve as an archiving tool for the stories and share more stories in the future.

Dia was also a panelist for the IVLP Impact Awards Alumni Discussion Series panel on “Advancing Human Rights for Marginalized Communities,” which you can read more about here.

Click here to Read the participant's stories

"All these years, I have been working as a LGBTQIA+ human rights activist. This storytelling workshop helped me to reflect about my journey." - Project Participant

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Dia participated in the IVLP Project A Global Moment in Time- Reflections on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center in partnership with Global Ties San Francisco and Global Ties Kalamazoo.

Dia's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "During my visit to the US for my IVLP, we went to many different cities, and in each of them, we went to different memorials or museums, and spaces dedicated to housing and documenting lived experiences and how they impacted change."

U.S. Communities Visited

San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Kalamazoo, MI

"As a writer and storyteller, [IVLP] inspired me [to] gather queer lived experiences in my country: to document history in the making." - Dia Yonzon

Country: Nepal 

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